Despite the excellent esthetics, biocompatibility and durability of the conventional ceramics, one of their major drawbacks is their inherent brittleness and relative inability to resist crack propagation. As a result, fractures of ceramic restorations is often observed which are caused due to forces that are much below their actual strength. What if ceramics could somehow be made flexible and more fracture resistant? Yes, thanks to modern dental biomaterials science, it has now been made possible! Say hello to the Hybrid Nanoceramics! These ceramics combine the beneficial properties of different biomaterials in order to enhance the strength and durability of the dental ceramics.

One of the greatest frustrations for cosmetic dentists is the inability to use zirconia for the fabrication of anterior prostheses due to the inherent opaque nature of the material. What if somehow translucent zirconia crowns could be prepared that possessed the same translucency and dentine, combined with the conventional strength and durability of zirconia? Yes, it certainly possible! Thanks to the latest zirconia brands, Bruxzir and Crystal are now producing a zirconia material specifically designed for anterior prostheses!

Choosing the right kind of ceramic material that provides the optimal strength and esthetics, is one of the hardest decisions for a dentist to make. Nowadays, lithium disilicate (Emax) and zirconia (Bruxzir and Crystal) ceramics are being most commonly used for the fabrication of different types of dental prostheses. But which of these materials should your prefer? This article provides you with a detailed comparison between the lithium disilicate and zirconia crowns.

Zirconia (Zirconium Oxide) is a white powdered metal used to create dental frameworks for crowns, bridges and other dental substructures. It replaces gold or stainless steel used in the past, creates the appearance of a whiter more translucent tooth. Zirconia has been in use in cosmetic dentistry for many years to acheive the most aesthetic result possible, but has more recently become widely accepted as the dental material of choice.

Dental Laboratory Milling Supplies, who introduced the very successfull Crystal Zirconia line of Dental Zirconia three years ago, became the first (and still only) company to produce a zirconia block for the Sirona inLab milling systems for under $10.00 US.

What is ZirconiaBlog?

The dental laboratory industry has been using Zirconia (yttria-stabilized zirconium dioxide) as a dental framework material for several years in our dental laboratories, working with a variety of milling systems and materials.